7 Recruiting Mistakes to Avoid

Nearly three in four employers are affected by a bad hire, according to a CareerBuilder survey, with the cost of one bad hire amounting to $15,000. A company can’t afford those kinds of losses every day, or even every year. That’s why it’s so imperative to know how to properly recruit somebody, and how to avoid the wrong people.

Sometimes the biggest recruiting mistakes are ones that you might not even realize you’re making, according to LinkedIn. Everyone knows not to discriminate in the hiring process or ask inappropriate questions, but there are some lesser-known mistakes that can lead to a bad hire on your roster or a good hire slipping through the cracks. As advised by The Balance, here are some of the top recruiting mistakes to avoid.

1. Failing to Pre-screen Candidates

A half-hour phone call could make a world of a difference for your company, saving both time and money. Pre-screening candidates is a must for recruiting and hiring the best employees. It’s the quickest and easiest way of finding out whether a candidate has the experience needed for the job. It’s also a great way to weed out candidates who may be asking for more than you can afford.

2. Failing to Prepare the Candidate

If the candidate doesn’t ask anything about your business, make sure you enlighten them. Don’t leave them completely in the dark. By better preparing candidates for the interview, you’ll be able to effectively find the proper candidates for the job. Make sure you describe the company and describe the job position clearly.

In addition, if the candidate doesn’t ask anything about your business, reconsider whether they’d be the right person for the job.

3. Failing to Prepare the Interviewers

If the interviewers aren’t asking good questions, then you’ll get nowhere with finding the right candidate. Everything comes down to the recruiter asking the right questions. Ensure there’s a plan in place that will help propel the interview forward.

Another common misstep is not asking every candidate the same set of questions. Best-case scenario, you won’t be able to accurately measure each candidate alongside each other (because they haven’t all discussed the same topics with you); worst-case scenario, you could find yourself the subject of a discriminatory hiring lawsuit.

4. Relying too Heavily on the Interview to Evaluate the Candidate

With all of our talk about how important the interview is, this may sound counter-intuitive. Let us explain. There are many factors that go into choosing the best candidate for the job, and it’s important to not rely solely on the interview to evaluate the candidate.

No matter what the situation, candidates are always going to tell you exactly what you want to hear, and you’ll only get a select window of what they’d be like as an employee. It’s important to weed out the people who won’t be good matches for your company, whether you use social media or background checks.

5. Talking Constantly During an Interview

If too much talking happens, nothing is going to get done, and if you find that the interviewer is doing the majority of the talking, it’s likely that the candidate won’t be able to fully express why they’d be the right fit for this position. A good rule of thumb is the 30 percent rule. If the hiring manager spends much more time than that talking, then the candidate probably won’t have time to thoroughly go over their skills and qualifications.

Also, don’t think that an interview can only be a discussion. One way to break the ice is by having a candidate perform a hands-on task, testing their physical abilities. Seeing the way a person works is one good way to tell if a candidate is a right match for your business, and is a great idea for any more technically-based position.

6. Evaluating Based on Personality

We understand that the right candidate for a job should also be easy to get along with and fit in with the company culture, but there is a limit. Always primarily evaluate based on skills and experience, not by personality. Friendship is a bonus, but it’s not a requirement for employees. They just need to have the drive to work for your business effectively. Focus on hiring a diverse crew.

7. Not Having Staffing Insurance

Staffing agencies and recruiting firms have a great deal of responsibility in the recruitment process, and this leaves them open to claims not only from the candidates but also the companies that contract heir recruiting services. In addition to protecting against these numerous sources of claims, having a Direct Hire/Executive Search & Recruitment/Retained Search staffing insurance policy will demonstrate to businesses that a safe and legal recruiting process is a priority for your firm.

About World Wide Specialty Programs

For the last 50 years, World Wide Specialty Programs has dedicated itself to providing the optimal products and solutions for the staffing industry. As the only insurance firm to be an ASA commercial liability partner, we are committed to that partnership and committed to using our knowledge of the industry to provide staffing firms with the best possible coverage. For more information about Staffing Professional Liability Insurance or any other coverage, we have available to protect your staffing business, give us a call at (800) 245-9653 to speak with one of our representatives.